Y'all know I love smushing words together (for example, see previous posts for felafelushi and enchilasange) and beetziki has now been added to the list of delicious recipes with made-up words for titles. And it really is delicious. And pretty. And healthy. Triple win!

Unfortunately I'm one of those people that a) smells nutella and seems to get fat and b) may or may not have portion control issues with the world's favourite choc-hazelnut spread. And I really can't reconcile the amount of sugar and oil in nutella with my own healthy eating philosphies, so I've spent the greater part of the last few years living a nutella-free existance. Not anymore! Healthy homemade nutella - it's a thing, people! And it's here to make your life better.

Ideally somewhere between carbs and vegetables...Seriously, the flavours they use are so bold and intense that I never get sick of eating them. We usually have at least one night each week dedicated solely to Mexican food, be it burritos, enchiladas, tacos, burrito bowls or my latest favourite - enchilasagne; a cross between enchiladas and lasagne. I'll get around to putting that on the blog in the coming weeks but let's not run before we can walk - today is all about the base to any good enchilasagne (or enchilada dish): homemade enchilada sauce. It's way easier than you think, way healthier than store-bought sauces and way tastier than a sauce with minimal effort deserves to be.

When we first started dating it was a minor clash of cultures for both of us; me growing up in a house where salt was rarely added to anything and him growing up where salt was a necessary and vital addition to everything. Last month he invented a new appetizer – an anchovy wrapped around an olive. I’m pretty sure he would have sprinkled it with sea salt flakes if I wasn’t watching... Olives and anchovies remain high on his list of favourite foods so when I introduced him to classic olive tapenade (essentially just olive and anchovy blended together) he was in heaven. One thing he doesn’t like is eggplant, which I adore, and despite me continually adding it to things and my fervent insistence that “there has to be a way to prepare it so that you like it!!” he hasn’t really warmed to it. Until now, friends. Until now. I give you the dish that represents both of us: Roasted Eggplant Olive Tapenade.

A wise man once said "You can't make everyone happy, you aren't a jar of peanut butter".

Alright it wasn't so much a wise man as it was an internet meme but the message is still relevant: peanut butter is great. Nut butters in general are awesome, I'm yet to find one I don't like. In my house we have what's lovingly referred to as 'the health cupboard' - a place for all the superfoods my husband and daughter find way too confronting. It's chock full of things like protein powder, chia seeds, goji berries, bee pollen, cacao nibs, quest bars, homemade breakfast sprinkle, supergreens powder and lots of other bits and pieces that might possibly improve their health status. And in this magical cupboard, which is also a great place to hide things from the two of them, is my nut butter collection.

As a woman of science I have done thorough research and found a direct correlation between my happiness and the amount of nut butter I have. I know, where's my nobel prize? So when I looked in the health cupboard the other day to find I was out of crunchy peanut butter and running low on almond butter, tahini AND dark chocolate super spread I decided it was time to take immediate action.

Most of my ideas are born from necessity or accident rather than divine stroke of genius, but this one was a combination of all three. The only nuts I had on hand were cashews and shredded coconut, which just happen to live next to my collection of teas. My vast collection, which includes numerous types of chai tea. Spark brainwave - chai-spiced coconut and cashew butter. And when I happened to have some left over chai spice blend from the chai-spiced apple chips I made a few weeks ago I knew I was on a winner.

Fit Kitchen Blog

The Fit Kitchen Blog was set up to make it easy for you to find relevant, accurate information about health and nutrition as well as delicious, (mostly) healthy recipes.

I feel that: if it's not delicious, then why bother eating it?...so this page is dedicated to showcasing lots of nutritious recipes that don't sacrifice flavour.

Popular Posts:

Join the JLFN community to receive your free healthy chocolate recipese-book - as well as a regular newsletter with exclusive recipes, tips and special offers - making it easier to reach your health and fitness goals!